Hermetically-sealing stopper for cans.



L. STURGES. HERMETIGALLY SEALING STOPPER FOR CANS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, I909.

Patented Mar. 22, 1910.

UNIT STATS LEE STURGES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HEBMETICALLY-SEALING STOPPER FOR CANS.

App1ication filed February 10, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEE STURGES, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHermetically- Sealing Stoppers for Cans; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference bein had to the accom Jan in drawin s.

a b b and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

The wide diffusion of knowledge of sanitary laws and the present generalknowledge of the danger arising from the use of milk and other foodproducts shipped or handled in packages so constructed as to permitbacterial or other contamination and the fact that milk is frequentlyshipped and sometimes kept for a considerable period of time inunsanitary places and sometimes is thereby infected bacterially to anextent as to render the same extremely dangerous for use, has caused theadoption and quite general enforcement of very stringent milk inspectionlaws and ordinances. The consumers are, of course, uninformed of thesanitary conditions surrounding the milk at the dairy, in transit, andat the delivery stations but are well aware that even pasteurized milkmay be dangerously infected after pasteurization and before consumption.

The object of this invention is to provide a construction whereby milkand other food products may be kept in a perfect sanitary conditionafter sterllization and until delivery by means of a hermeticallysealing stopper adapted to be sealed in place.

It is also an object of the invention to afford a stopper for milk cansadapted to exclude dirt and all contaminating or injurious substancesand materials and to enable the purchaser to assure himself that themilk has not been injuriously exposed to contamination or the canunsealed in any manner between shipment from the dairy and receipt atthe distributing depot.

It is also an object of the invention to aiford a stopper for cansadapted to be firmly pressed into sealing position and adapted to belocked or sealed in place to an extent to permit unauthorizedinterference to be instantly detected.

It is further an object of the invention to provide a can stopper of theclass de- Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 477,170.

scribed having a gasket thereon adapted to seal the stopper in the cantop or neck.

It is also an object of the invention to greatly strengthen andreinforce the can .top or cover and to afford in connection therewith anadjustable locking means whereby the cover may be firmly clamped inplace to seal the can.

Finally, it is an object of the invention to afford in a device. of theclass described a locking bar adapted to be engaged on the can top andto aiford a medium against which pressure is applied in jamming thestopper into and firmly holding the same seated in the can neck.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described and morefully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a milk can providedwith a stopper embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan viewthereof. Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

As shown in the drawings: the milk can A, is shown of the usual orfamiliar type having a dome shaped can breast a, secured on the topthereof and firmly and hermetically united with the can neck a, andflaring outwardly from, and connected with the top of the can neck isthe can mouth (1 in the top of which is rolled a wire a to afiord anoutwardly and downwardly directed peripheral head, as usual, for thepurpose of reinforcing the can mouth. Said can with the neck and flaringor hell mouth thereof is constructed as usual, and of course, may be ofany required dimensions.

Seated in the can top to close the can mouth is the stopper B, usuallyconstructed of pressed metal and having an integral bottom I), andupwardly extending side walls Z), peripherally connected therewith whichextend to near the top of the can neck and slightly above. The angleafforded between the can neck and outwardly flaring mouth is providedwith a peripheral groove or recess b adapted to receive a rubber orother suitable gasket 6 usually constructed in the form of a more orless resilient ring of round rubber, which engages firmly in saidgroove, as shown in Fig. 3, and when the top is inserted in placepresses firmly on the can mouth adjacent the neck. From said gasket 6the can top or cover flares outwardly, as shown at 6 as is usual withPatented Mar. 22, 1910.

can tops and extends laterally and peripherally over the top of the canmouth and at its periphery may be provided with a strengthening bead 5as is usual or may be otherwise reinforced to protect the same frominjury.

Riveted or otherwise permanently and rigidly secured in the bottom ofthe can top is an upwardly extended threaded shaft O, having arelatively large foot piece integral therewith through which said rivetsor other fastening means connecting with the top extends. Threaded onthe shaft O, is the hub 0, of a hand wheel 0, the ends of the hub 0, ofwhich extend outwardly for a considerable distance from the plane of thewheel. The upper or outer end of the hub is adapted to engage in acomplemental seat in the locking bar D, which may be constructed of castor malleable iron, or of steel, and is hooked downwardly and inwardly atits ends cl, to engage beneath the pe ripheral bead 64- on the can top.Said locking bar D, is provided with apertures therein, as shown inFigs. 2 and 8, through which may be extended a wire lead seal E, whichengages one of the arms or spokes of the hand wheel to the locking barD, and thereby prevents relative movement thereof without destroying theseal.

The operation is as follows: Having filled the can with pasteurized orother milk or material which it is desired to protect from contaminationor injury, the top or cover is pressed therein with the gasket in place,and of course, the hand wheel is turned down on the shaft O,sufliciently to permit the locking bar to be conveniently and easilysecured in place. The hand wheel is then rotated to thread the wheeloutwardly on the shaft O, thus bringing the upper end of the hub, intothe recess or bearing, in the locking bar and the hand wheel is rotatedor turned up on the shaft sufficiently to exert a degree of pressure 011said locking bar sufficient to prevent removal of the top withoutreleasing the hand wheel. The wire of the seal E, is next insertedthrough one of the apertures in the locking bar, carried around one ofthe spokes or arms of the locking wheel and sealed with lead or othersuitable material to permit interference or tampering with said can tobe instantly detected by an inspector or receiver of the goods.

When it is desired to empty the cans, of course the seal is broken andthe hand wheel reversed sufficiently to allow the bar to slip from thetop of the can. The stopper is then removed from the can as usual.

Of course, while I have mentioned rubber as a desirable gasket it isobvious that other materials than rubber may be employed, if desired,the only object being to protect the contents of the can fromcontamination, and

of course, owing to the simple construction of the gasket, should thesame ever become worn, it can be easily replaced by stripping the rubbergasket from the can top and re placing a new or better one.

Obviously, the construction adds but very slightly to the weight of thecan and insures better sanitary conditions and less loss of material intransit than has heretofore been the case. Of course, details of theconstruction may be varied. I therefore do not purpose limiting thisapplication for patent otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cover for milk cans embracing in connection with the cover a gasketfor engaging between the stopper and can and a locking bar hookeddownwardly and inwardly at both ends engaging the can act ing to holdthe cover inwardly.

2. A stopper for milk cans embracing in connection with the stopper asanitary gasket adapted to engage between the stopper and can and alocking bar hooked clownwardly and inwardly at its extremities to engagebeneath a peripheral bead on the can top and acting to hold the stopperin place.

3. In a device of the class described a stopper adapted to fit in a cantop, a locking bar provided with apertures on either side of the centerthrough which may be extended a wire seal, said bars engaging over thecan top and stopper, and mechanism secured in the can stopper andadjustably engaging the locking bar to hold the stopper in place, and agasket fitted between the can top and stopper.

4t. A milk can stopper of pressed metal comprising a bottom, upwardlydirected walls corresponding with the can neck, an outwardly flaring topto the stopper, a pcripheral recess in the stopper adapted to receive agasket in position to bear in the can neck, and a locking bar hookeddownwardly and inwardly at both ends adapted to en-' gage a peripheralbead on the can top 5. In a device of the class described a milk canstopper of pressed metal comprising a bottom, upwardly directed wallscorresponding with the can neck, an outwardly flaring top to thestopper, a peripheral recess in the stopper adapted to receive a gasketin position to bear in the can neck, an upwardly extending threadedshaft rigidly secured to said bottom, a hand wheel threaded on saidshaft, a locking bar engaging the can top and adapted to be engaged bythe hand wheel and provided with apertures, and a sealing device adaptedto engage one of the spokes of the wheel to said locking bar.

6. A milk can stopper embracing in connection with the stopper athreaded shaft extending axially upward in the stopper, a

hand wheel threaded on the shaft, a locking bar engaging over the top ofthe stopper and removably engaging beneath the top of the can andadapted to be engaged centrally by the hand wheel, and a sealing deviceengaging said bar to prevent release without detection.

7 A milk can stopper embracing in combination with the milk can top anda locking bar removably engaging over the stopper and beneath the rim oneither side of the can mouth, of adjustable means within the can stopperadapted to releasably engage the locking bar to force the stopperinwardly and a removable gasket on the stopper adapted to engage in thecan neck.

8. A milk can stopper embracing a central upwardly extended threaded rodtherein, of a locking bar hooked downwardly and inwardly at itsextremities adapted to engage the can top, a nut on the shaft or rodadapted to press on said locking bar to force the stopper inwardly, anda gasket extending around the stopper.

9. A locking bar for milk cans embracing a bar or strap of metal hookeddownwardly and inwardly at each end to engage beneath the peripheralbead on a can top and having seal apertures arranged on each side of thecenter thereof, and mechanism engaged in a can stopper adapted toreleasably engage said locking bar to hold the stopper from removal.

10. A locking bar for milk cans embracing a bar or strap of metal hookedat its ends to engage over and beneath the lip of the can and havingseal apertures arranged on each side of the center thereof and a seat insaid locking bar adapted to receive the hub of a hand wheel.

11. A stopper for milk cans embracing in connection with the stopper anexternal peripheral gasket, a bar or strap of metal hooked downwardlyand inwardly at each end to engage beneath a peripheral bead on the cantop and a central internally threaded shaft rigidly secured to thebottom of the stopper.

12. A milk can stopper of pressed metal comprising a bottom, upwardlydirected walls corresponding with the can neck, an outwardly flaring topto the stopper adapted to receive a gasket in position to bear in thecan neck, a peripheral bead on said can neck, a locking bar hookeddownwardly and inwardly at both ends adapted to engage the flaring topof the can neck and having an aperture through which may be secured aseal.

13. In a device of the class described a milk can stopper comprising abottom, upwardly directed walls corresponding with the can neck, anoutwardly flaring top to the stopper to fit in the can mouth, anupwardly extending threaded shaft secured to said bottom, a hand wheelthreaded on said shaft, a locking bar hooked at its ends to engage overand beneath the can lip and provided with apertures and having a centralseat adapted to receive the hub of the hand wheel and a seal forengaging the wheel to the bar.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

LEE STURGES.

Witnesses H. E. HANNAH, LAwRENoE REIBsTEIN.

